Kloovenburg Vineyards produce some of the best quality table grapes for export. This was made possible by to Pieter’s love for hunting Guinea fowl on the neighbouring farm, De Hof. When he was eight years old, he asked the owner if he could purchase the farm, at which the owner promised to give him first option if ever he decides to sell.
That opportunity presented itself in 1982, when Pieter received a formal letter of first option to buy De Hof from the owner himself, saying that it was a memory worth remembering and a promise to be kept. Pieter was overwhelmed and very excited as this was what he had dreamt of since childhood. He was still in school at the time and could not legally purchase the farm. But he convinced his father to buy the farm for him with the promise to expand the Kloovenburg legacy and maintain the excellent quality of grapes for export.
They started with 3 ha and expanded it to the current 40 ha, with hope of another 10 ha in the near future.

Planting and production

Before any grape-vines are planted, careful planning and evaluation of every aspect of the cultivar need to be done and the different agricultural aspects regarding terrain, soil and climate be taken into consideration.
It takes three to five years before a grape-vine reaches its full potential with regard to delivering the expected tons. Harvesting is then done from the end of December to the end of March, depending on weather and rate of ripeness.
Grapes are packed in 500 g Punnets, 4.5 kg boxes and 9 kg boxes, depending on export requirements and demand.

Exports

Our biggest export market is countries belonging to the European Union, followed by the United Kingdom, where we sell to supermarkets such as Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Tesco. We also export to the Far East and countries like Malaysia.